Steveawiggins

LATEST ARTICLES ( 4152 )

• Going Once, Going Twice

  

  Do you ever get that feeling that you’ve been sold?  One thing I learned early on in academic publishing is that buyouts aren’t that unusual. Read more

  Posted on 31 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Unidentified

  

  Some topics are subject to ridicule. The poster child for this is UFOs. What’s so remarkable about Leslie Kean’s book is that she began as a skeptic. Read more

  Posted on 30 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Leopard Spots

  

  There’s always a dilemma involved. Rent or buy? Libraries face this when deciding on a subscription or perpetual access deal—is this something you’ll need for... Read more

  Posted on 29 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Free Cookies

  

  The principle is a simple one.  People, being what they are, want more than just a nibble of something good.  Bakers know that giving away a free cookie... Read more

  Posted on 28 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• No Demons

  

  There’s a connoisseurship about it. Making bad films, that is. It’s a wonder that Night of the Demon—I should specify 1980 as the year—hasn’t really become a... Read more

  Posted on 27 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Saint Material

  

  Miracles don’t often make the New York Times. The Gray Lady was reluctant to release stories about verified UFO cases, for crying out loud. But the story about ... Read more

  Posted on 26 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• To Their Own Devices

  

  This one’s so good that it’s got to be a hoax.  One of the upsides to living under constant surveillance is that a lot of stuff—weird stuff—is caught on camera.... Read more

  Posted on 25 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Demons and Gremlins

  

  Gremlins have an ancient pedigree, whether they know it or not. Credited with airplane problems during the Second World War, these meddlers in technology had... Read more

  Posted on 24 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Okay, Look Now

  

  When you think of Daphne du Maurier’s film adaptations, Alfred Hitchcock probably pops to mind. He shot Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, and The Birds, based on her works. Read more

  Posted on 23 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Politicking

  

  It was weird seeing my face on a 27 x 40 poster.  When I went to give my campaign speech I was wearing dress clothes that I’d bought at Goodwill. Read more

  Posted on 22 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Tech Warning

  

  My moon roof is open.  That’s what the late-night alert says.  Thing is, I don’t have a moon roof.  Maybe I should go out to the garage and check, just to be... Read more

  Posted on 21 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Not Murphy’s Mansion

  

  One of the dangers of streaming is that you can be talked into a movie by the fact of its availability. Curiosity drove me to Disney’s The Haunted Mansion... Read more

  Posted on 20 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Six-Hundred and Sixty-Six

  

  I have to confess to never having read a biography of Aleister Crowley.  I’ve known of him since I was a teenager, however, since you can’t read very much... Read more

  Posted on 19 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Forgotten Books

  

  Would you rather never write a book or write a book that’s easily forgotten?  This question springs from a recent exercise of trying (unsuccessfully) to count... Read more

  Posted on 18 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Price Drop

  

  Here’s a public service announcement for your Friday.  If you’ve been wanting to read Holy Horror but found the price too high, McFarland has now lowered the... Read more

  Posted on 17 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Why Weenie?

  

  Often I ponder how incredibly influential Frankenstein has been. Even those who don’t care for horror instantly recognize the creature and what he represents.... Read more

  Posted on 16 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• The Movie Maker

  

  Roger Corman has died.  So passes an era.  I’ve always had an appreciation for the speculative films of the fifties and sixties.  Many of these involved low... Read more

  Posted on 15 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Writ Small

  

  I have a loupe on my desk.  Two, in fact.  I bought them for examining rocks up close, but they have other usages.  The other day I wanted to post a comment on ... Read more

  Posted on 14 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Downtowns

  

  I recently wrote about the movie Peeping Tom. I mentioned a scene, particularly creepy, where a news agent sells a girl a candy bar after selling an older man... Read more

  Posted on 13 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Ordinary Heroes

  

  Mothers sacrifice to give us life.  Sacrifice lies at the heart of much of religion, so it may be that women resonate with this theme naturally.  Without mother... Read more

  Posted on 12 May 2024 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY